Injury bug biting Rams as Malcolm Brown, Cam Akers miss practice
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Healthy for the most part through the first two weeks of the regular season, injuries are starting to mount for the Los Angeles Rams this week.
Head coach Sean McVay said left guard Joe Noteboom (calf), cornerback Darious Williams (Achilles) and running backs Malcolm Brown (finger) and Cam Akers (ribs) are expected to miss practice on Wednesday due to injuries.
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald and left tackle Andrew Whitworth will also take a rest day on Wednesday.
Brown suffered a dislocated pinkie finger on his left hand during last week’s road win over the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the finger has been fixed and Brown is expected to play in a splint this week against the Buffalo Bills.
Akers suffered separated rib cartilage last weekend and is day-to-day, McVay said. His availability for Sunday is in question.
Noteboom has a calf strain and likely will be placed on injured reserve this week. However, McVay said rookie edge rusher Terrell Lewis (knee) is not ready to come off the injured reserve this week to replace Noteboom on the active roster.
McVay is hopeful that with rest Williams will be available on Sunday. McVay said Williams and Brown took part in walk-through practice Wednesday morning.
With Brown and Akers dealing with injuries, second-year pro Darrell Henderson Jr. is likely to continue to get more work. The Memphis product finished with 121 yards from scrimmage against Philadelphia last week.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that no matter the injury situation, his team will be ready for all three running backs.
“It affects it a little bit, but not overly too much,” McDermott said. “We’re aware of who they have in the backfield. All three are talented backs. We have a lot of respect for them and their personnel. But we’re going to control the pieces that we can control this week, and that’s focusing on what we can do.
“They’re all different. They’re all talented and very high-level runners. And we have to be ready for it, that’s for sure.”
As for the matchup, McVay said he faced McDermott while serving as the offensive coordinator for the Washington football team when McDermott was the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers.
However, the personnel and schemes are different, and he’ll lean more closely on what McDermott has done while with the Bills.
As they did last week, McVay said the Rams will travel Saturday, getting into Buffalo in the evening and spending about 24 hours there, traveling back home to L.A. Sunday evening after the game.
“I think last week will be kind of a good guide for us, and compass to kind of navigate through this week,” McVay said.
